Mike Monroe: Not doubting Thomas

When Kurt Thomas joins the Spurs, probably at a Friday practice, he should expect to jump right into action.

With Thursday’s game against the Timberwolves in frozen Minneapolis being the 53rd of the 82-game regular season, Thomas’ transition into one of the NBA’s more complex offensive and defensive systems will be strictly on-the-job training.

Thomas has been in the NBA for 13 seasons, so there isn’t much he doesn’t know when it comes to defending the league’s most physical big men. But it’s going to take him a little bit of time to adjust to the Spurs’ defensive rotations, which are a little different than most of the league’s other teams. He will learn as he goes, but Gregg Popovich wants him well-schooled by the time the playoffs begin.

After the Spurs went through their Thursday morning shootaround, Popovich said he will throw Thomas into the mix situationally, just as he did point guard Damon Stoudamire after the Spurs signed him before the final six games of their rodeo road trip. The amount of time he gets will depend, in part, on the opponent. Against the other Western Conference title contenders, such as the Hornets — Saturday’s opponent at AT&T Center — Popovich might have to limit Thomas’ time. That’s because, in Popovich’s words, when you’re playing one of the West’s contenders “it’s important for everyone to be on the same page just to try and win a doggone game.”

Nevertheless, Thomas is going to get situational time right away, and Popovich made no attempt to hide how he felt about getting a player the Spurs had previously tried to acquire: He is thrilled to have him.